Just to prove I don't make this stuff up. Everything you read on this blog is 100% fact, I deal only in one thing, fact, well two things, fact and science, and maths, I've always said that. For example did you know that Colonel Sanders was never a real Colonel? I wouldn't be surprised if Ronald MacDonald isn't a real clown. Come to think of it, the pizzas at Pizza Express don't seem to arrive any quicker than in other restaurants. Since Krispy Kreme is 9.1% owned by a Kuwait based company it has some legitimacy in the region. [View Full Entry]

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I now know why they closed a big section of Al Raha beach a while ago - they are building a Death Star. To be honest, I thought it would be a bit bigger. Apologies for the quality of the photos, but I was driving at the time. I've seen another Ramadan promotion, Krispy Kreem doughnuts. The slogan is "Get your Ramadan Dozen" They should have gone with "Ramadan Krispy Kareem" [View Full Entry]

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If you have had the misfortune to hear the craptastic pop song "All Summer Long" by Kid Rock, you will know what I am going on about, if you haven't then consider yourself lucky. I've written to my local radio station, Channel 4 FM, who are normally pretty good, asking them to remove this rubbish but apparently it is the station's most requested song, and has been for some time. This is why I find this song more offensive than usual. 1 - It rips off a riff of “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Werewolves of London” which is just lazy/annoying. If [View Full Entry]

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As I shunted to and fro to squeeze my car out of it's space this morning, I certainly was not feeling the joy of the blessed month. I had to deliver a technical and commercial bid to a national oil company's office. We were quite specifically told that the bids had to be delivered before 9 am on the 14th to a certain person on the 19th floor, or the bids will not be taken. So, at 08:00 I am at reception trying to get a visitors pass. Me: Good morning, I need to drop these bids off to Mr. Saleem [View Full Entry]

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The Holy month of Ramadan started last week, from ramadanplanner.com: Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar. Every day during this month, Muslims around the world spend the daylight hours in a complete fast. During the blessed month of Ramadan, Muslims all over the world abstain from food, drink, and other physical needs during the daylight hours. As a time to purify the soul, refocus attention on God, and practice self-sacrifice, Ramadan is much more than just not eating and drinking. Muslims are called upon to use this month to re-evaluate their lives in [View Full Entry]

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Just Imagine that you've set off overseas to seek your fortune in the Land of Black Gold. You are a skilled machinist and you set up in a little workshop in Musaffah. You are proud of your skills on a lathe so you name your establishment accordingly, so the "Accurate Turning Workshop" is born. All is well and business is booming, you've been able to afford a few acetylene bottles and have a whole yard full of swarf, welding cables and other engineering type stuff. So imagine the horror when you turn up on your Honda C50 one morning to find [View Full Entry]

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Every now and again you come across a sign that is so profound that it not only gives instruction specific to its intended purpose, but can actually give instruction for your whole life. Consider these three instructions seen on the side of a dustcart. "DO NOT WALK OR STAND IN THE WALKING ZONE OF THIS MACHINE" In this instance, the "walking zone" zone is quite clearly a metaphor for life. This means that life is for living, not for walking or standing in. "DO NOT OPEN THE MACHINE WHILE RUNNING" I can't see why you would, unless the machine was a [View Full Entry]

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I know, I know. Poking fun at people's lack of understanding of the English language is not exactly Oscar Wild level wit, but this is Standard Chartered Bank and they have a network of over 1,400 branches in more than 50 countries, so you think they'd know better. Apart from the slogan, I like the imagery of a man hastily grabbing at another man's crotch area. Who doesn't? [View Full Entry]

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We've got some work over in Oman and I needed to see the client on site as well as our agent in Muscat so I had a bit of a road trip on my hands. It's only about 210km from Abu Dhabi to the Oman border just past Al Ain, and then head south east another 130 to the town of Ibri. Once there you have to head West for another 130km to the Safah Oil Field. Due to security reasons you are not allowed to take any photos, in fact I'm not even supposed to describe the scenery, so I'm [View Full Entry]

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On the way home yesterday another photo opportunity presented itself. Check out the "Chemicals Vehicle". Unfortunately I couldn't get a decent shot of the Hazchem sign , but I like their style - dangerous chemicals in cardboard boxes in an open truck. At least they have a single strand of nylon rope holding one row of boxes down. "Oh how easy it is to poke fun at these unsophisticated people with their goats on mopeds and kids hanging out of the sunroof," I was thinking, "I am so fucking glad I come from a country with centuries of civilisation, architectural history, [View Full Entry]

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